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Ten Things of Thankful: Knee High by the 4th of July


A small corn patch grows in a raised bed between strawberries and squash and beans


The expectation for corn-growers is that the corn will be "knee-high by the 4th of July." I failed to take a photo of my corn patch on the 4th, but the above photo was taken on the 30 of June. While I'm still waiting for corn harvest time, I am thankful (1) that I've been able to harvest other crops. We've enjoyed lettuce, radishes, basil, strawberries, yellow summer squash, yellow wax beans, beets and turnips so far, and more crops are gearing up. (And suddenly, writing that sentence made me think of the movie,  SecondHand Lions.) 



Long story, but John and I have a travel trailer we are getting ready to sell. I'm thankful (2) for the internet that provides endless how-to information, as well as (3) recommendations for companies that can be hired to do the work we don't want to tackle ourselves. 

I'm also thankful (4) for a washer and dryer. It's so nice to be able to throw dirty items in, and voila! they come out clean. 

While I am thankful for the dryer, I'm also thankful (5) for sunshine and fresh air, which does a great job, especially with larger items that don't fit well in the machine.

I'm thankful (6) that the sunshine helped the wildflowers grow. I have bachelor buttons, coneflowers, and sunflowers that are in various stages of blooming.

In addition to the wildflowers, the mostly-weeds lawn on the hill has grown up, and I'm thankful (7) that the baby quail are confident enough to venture out, hidden by the foliage. It's hard to catch a glimpse of them, but they are such cute little puffballs!

My friend and I still walk outside several mornings a week (practicing social distancing, of course), and I'm thankful (8) for her friendship. 

I'm thankful (9) for my children, who bring so much joy into my life. 

I'm thankful (10) for John, who, among his many talents, is a great trailer-fixer-upper. 

How is your summer going? Are you gardening? Tackling a big project? Or just enjoying the fresh air? Whatever you are doing, take time to be thankful! Feel free to link up your own Ten Things of Thankful post!

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Comments

  1. RomiJuly 10, 2020 at 4:50 PM

    The vegetables you've harvested sound fascinating!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa TomeyJuly 10, 2020 at 8:20 PM

    I'll be over for supper!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. messymimiJuly 11, 2020 at 7:58 PM

    Thank you for your hosting this and your positive outlook and wonderful list of your own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiJuly 12, 2020 at 3:13 PM

      Thank you. I hope your upcoming week is less exciting than you have been experiencing lately.

      Delete
  4. Clark FarleyJuly 12, 2020 at 6:33 AM

    Excellent garden. No engineer/carpentry-skills in that household! lol*

    The Una garden is striving sunward. The tomato plants were not, contrary to first impression, entirely eaten during their first week in the ground, Should be interesting.

    Our local rabbits are still in evidence, quite comfortable continuing their eating of clover even as Una barks out the window and Phyllis walks to her car, all of four feet away.

    Have a great week.

    *compliments to on the planning and execution by you both

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiJuly 12, 2020 at 3:17 PM

      John is a great engineer, that's for sure. I'll throw out a big-picture idea, and he figures out all the make-it-work details. :-)

      Bunnies are so cute to watch; I don't seem them here nearly as often as I did in CA.

      Glad Una's garden is growing!

      Delete
  5. Pat BJuly 12, 2020 at 6:54 PM

    We need to watch that movie again!
    Fresh air and sunshine is the best way to go for those big items!
    Batchelor buttons remind me of growing up on the farm.
    I saw a quail the other day when was driving into town. I am glad they are still hanging out in the same area they have been for years.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dyanne @ I Want BacksiesJuly 12, 2020 at 8:05 PM

    Trying again.... Your corn looks terrific! My dad brought a big tub of corn to the lake this weekend that he got from a 94 year old man who grows it every summer. I was going to try a new roasting in the oven method with it, so I was pulling off loose husks and pinching off the dried silks on the end. I'd done several when I picked up one ear that had the husk pulled down a little. The inside was all sawdusty, so I pulled more husks down, and the whole top few inches were that way and I found a couple of black bugs. Went back to the ones I THOUGHT were okay, and they weren't either. Then it got worse - found big, fat worms in some of them. I was screaming every time I found one. It was awful! The ears were pretty small, made even smaller by having to cut sometimes half of one off, and I quit after I got about 18 done. Stuck them in the oven, waiting to hear the sizzle of fat, juicy worms dropping out onto the bottom of the stove, but it didn't happen. It was the best darn method of cooking corn I've ever used, but I was a nervous eater. No extra protein found while eating.... Sooo, good luck with your crop! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiJuly 14, 2020 at 12:57 PM

      Thanks! I certainly hope the ears don't turn out wormy, but we'll see.

      Delete
  7. GirlieOnTheEdgeJuly 13, 2020 at 3:10 PM

    Uplifting, smile inducing, summertime TToT :) The garden looks fabulous! One day, I tell myself, one day I will have a garden, lol.
    That was such an enjoyable movie. Thanks for sharing the trailer. Washers and dryers, surely a thankful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiJuly 14, 2020 at 12:59 PM

      Thank you. Gardening is a lot of trial and error, I've found.

      Delete

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